The African Pride Lands, a testament to the rich biodiversity of Africa, have captivated imaginations for centuries. Lions, the apex predators of these lands, hold a special place in its ecosystem and in human culture as symbols of courage and strength. This article explores the history of these lands, from the reign of infamous lion coalitions to the conservation efforts aimed at protecting these majestic creatures.
The Reign of the Mapogo Lions
The Mapogo lion coalition was a band of male South African lions that controlled the Sabi Sand region in Kruger National Park between 2006 and 2012. The coalition became infamous for their sheer power and strength in taking over and dominating an area of approximately 70,000 ha (170,000 acres). At its peak, the coalition consisted of six males: the leader Makulu, Pretty Boy, Rasta, Dreadlocks, Kinky Tail, and Mr. T.
The Mapogo coalition originated from Mala Mala from what was called the "Eyrefield Pride" (Sparta Pride) and moved into the Western Sector in 2006. The Mapogo lions followed a recent trend in the Sabi Sand Reserve of mega pride male lion coalitions. The oldest Mapogo male, Makulu, is believed to be the paternal half-brother to the other five lions.
In the first months of 2006, the five subadult lions and Makulu left their pride. They now had to fight for themselves, but by sticking together they increased their survival chances. Whilst living among themselves, the lions learned to be successful hunters. As they grew in size and experience, they were able to take down large prey such as hippos, young rhinos, and even giraffes and on one occasion a fully grown elephant. According to Dave Salmoni, successfully taking down cape buffalo was their "key to success".
Conquest and Dominance
The Mapogos first pride clash was in 2006. The Mapogo lions entered the northern Sabi Sand, which was ruled by four dominant males. Immediately upon arrival, the Mapogos managed to kill one of the males, and the remaining three were driven off. With the Ottawa pride's male lion driven off, three lionesses and 11 cubs remained. The six Mapogos quickly found and killed all 11 Ottawa cubs, with reports of Mr. T being particularly brutal.
Read also: Experience Fad's Fine African Cuisine
It is believed the Mapogos killed in excess of 40 lions and cubs in a little over a year. The statistics may be higher given their coverage of such large territories. With all competition eliminated, the Mapogos had successfully controlled eight prides.
Internal Conflicts and Splits
The coalition ruled a large territory, however their internal functions were bumpy and riddled with internal competition and rivalry. Many fights were observed between them, particularly with Mr. T, Kinky Tail and Makulu, both of whom had something of a large inter-rivalry. This rivalry escalated into a heavy fight between Mr. T and Makulu where Makulu was able to bite through one of Mr. T's paws and win the fight.
In 2008, soon after the fight and for the first time ever recorded, the coalition split into 2 smaller coalitions with Kinky Tail and Mr. T separating from the rest. There was an overlap region among the two territories, and the two coalitions occasionally met up especially Rasta and his twin Pretty Boy; however, it was clear that the two coalitions had very distinct regions and most likely wouldn't reform in the foreseeable future. However, Mr. T and Kinky Tail controlled their territory in a way that helped protect their brothers in the west.
Mr. T and Kinky Tail were then seen patrolling and guarding their territory for two years, managing to fight off other rival lions. However, in June 2010, a coalition of five male lions named the Majingilanes entered in Mapogo territory to take over.
In a buffalo hunt, Kinky Tail and Mr. T were able to isolate the oldest of Majingilane males who was on lookout and began chasing him. Soon they caught the intruder and Mr. T bit down on the male's neck, Kinky Tail ripped apart the male's groin area inflicting tears and bleeding. The Majingilane male tried to fight back, and did manage to injure both Mr. T in the nose and ear, and Kinky Tail in his paw.
Read also: The Story Behind Cachapas
Eventually Kinky Tail and Mr. T managed to break the 5th Majingilane lion's rear 2 legs and pelvis, he was left immobilized and mortally wounded . He was left to die a few hours later. Later that same night of the death of the Majingilane male, a filming crew witnessed the four remaining younger Majingilane lions on the move.
The four males immediately started to bite and rip apart Kinky Tail. One lion was biting at his neck, another at his back; the third bit off Kinky Tail's testicles and genitalia. The Majingilanes managed to successfully snap Kinky Tail's spine, his 3 legs being dislocated/broken and a hole roughly the size of a thumb breaking his orbital socket, thus immobilizing him and leaving him with no chance of survival.
Mr. T eventually arrived, and attempted to rescue and fight off the Majingilanes, but was outnumbered and outmaneuvered and forced to flee. Two Majingilanes attempted to track Mr. T, but were unsuccessful, later all 4 left the stricken Kinky Tail to chase Mr T, but they were again unsuccessful and returned to kill Kinky Tail. The four lions had started eating most of Kinky Tail's hind legs and his entire tail.
After the death of his brother, Mr. T headed back to the Tsala pride, he encountered the Majingilanes again towards the end of June, again the Majingilanes couldn't kill him, 2 cubs were killed and some lionesses split with their cubs. Mr T headed West to return to the rest of the old coalition. Field guides were afraid the 4 would chase him off and kill him, but instead they welcomed him back and he managed to peacefully coexist with the other 4 again. However, soon after being accepted back, Mr. T began to start to track down, massacre, and eat 3 of his brothers cubs. His brothers did nothing to stop him and Mr. T quickly began mating with the ximhungwe females.
Then shortly after this, Rasta disappeared from the coalition. The reason why is unknown, but it's thought he was either killed by poachers or the Majingilane. Around the end of November 2010, Dreadlocks left the game reserve and was shot by locals shortly after, cutting the Mapogos down to just 3 members: Makulu (12), Pretty Boy (10) and Mr. T.
Read also: Techniques of African Jewellery
On March 16, 2012, a new rival coalition called the Selatis would arrive in the last of Mapogo territory through the south. The four of them were able to single out and attack a single member of the Mapogos - Mr. T. Although, it is rumored that his 2 brothers, Pretty Boy and Makulu, were not at the scene just before the battle, and Mr T was the only one there.
By the time the film crew and wildlife officials came to the scene, Mr. T had already suffered the attack. He had many wounds all over his front and shoulders as well as a large bite taken into his spine that paralyzed his back legs. The four Selatis would attack him in a consistent pattern of distracting Mr. T from the front to allow them to flank him, bite his spine and maul him for about 20 seconds. The Selatis would then stop, move away, wait, then begin the assault again. This pattern was repeated several times before the Selatis then left the crippled Mr. T to die.
The last remaining Mapogos, Makulu and Pretty Boy had to leave their territory to Selatis, fought a coalition of two Kruger males (Freddy and Limper) to occupy their territory and were driven off their territory. One of the Kruger males (Limper) later died due to injuries from Makulu. They were sighted in 2012 side by side, entering the Kruger National Park through the gate attributed to Paul Kruger. The remaining two were once again seen feeding on a buffalo in October-November 2012. Pretty Boy who throughout his life had defied the odds succumbed to a second bout of TB by end of November, Makhulu was with him to the very end.
In January 2013, Makulu was seen for the last time alone at Mala Mala, neighboring his old haunt, the Sabi Sand Reserve. No body was found of Makhulu and was estimated to have passed around March of that year.
Lion Prides and Social Structure
Lions are the most social of all wild felid species, living in groups of related individuals with their offspring. Such a group is called a "pride". Groups of male lions are called "coalitions".
Females form the stable social unit in a pride and do not tolerate outside females. The majority of females remain in their birth prides while all males and some females disperse. The average pride consists of around 15 lions, including several adult females and up to four males and their cubs of both sexes. Nomadic lions range widely and move around sporadically, either in pairs or alone.
The evolution of sociability in lions was likely driven both by high population density and the clumped resources of savannah habitats. The area occupied by a pride is called a "pride area" whereas that occupied by a nomad is a "range". Both males and females defend the pride against intruders, but the male lion is better-suited for this purpose due to its stockier, more powerful build.
Hunting and Diet
The lion is a generalist hypercarnivore and is considered to be both an apex and keystone predator due to its wide prey spectrum. Its prey consists mainly of medium-sized to large ungulates, particularly blue wildebeest, plains zebra, African buffalo, gemsbok and giraffe.
Single lions are capable of bringing down zebra and wildebeest, while larger prey like buffalo and giraffe are riskier. In Chobe National Park, large prides have been observed hunting African bush elephants up to around 15 years old in exceptional cases, with the victims being calves, juveniles, and even subadults.
Lions typically consume prey at the location of the hunt but sometimes drag large prey into cover. They tend to squabble over kills, particularly the males. Cubs suffer most when food is scarce but otherwise all pride members eat their fill, including old and crippled lions, which can live on leftovers. Large kills are shared more widely among pride members. An adult lioness requires an average of about 5 kg (11 lb) of meat per day while males require about 7 kg (15 lb).
Threats to Lion Populations
Today, there are only half as many African lions than there were 25 years ago. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that fewer than 25,000 lions remain in Africa, which is why the organization classifies them as vulnerable to extinction.
African lions face a variety of threats-most of which can be attributed to humans. Fearing that lions will prey on their livestock, ranchers may kill the animals both in retaliation and as a preventative measure, sometimes using pesticides as poison. Poachers target the species, too, as their bones and other body parts are valuable in the illegal wildlife trade.
Further fueling this conflict between lions and humans is the loss of prey across the species’ range. African lions prey on large herbivores, a population that’s being hunted for an increasingly commercial bushmeat trade. The IUCN estimates these populations have declined by as much as 52 percent in East Africa and 85 percent in West Africa. With less food available in the wild, lions may be more likely to turn to hunting domesticated animals like livestock.
The Mapogo Lion's Story | The Rise & Fall of the World Famous Lion Coalition
Conservation Efforts
Helping humans learn how to live with lions is key to ensuring their survival. Conservation organizations are working to change attitudes toward lions through compensation initiatives. Some of these models offer communities financial rewards when their local lion populations rise, while others pay farmers to replace their livestock that have been killed by lions.
Other conservationists have focused on creating protected areas for lions. In Botswana’s Selinda area, only a single lioness and her cub lived there when filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, both National Geographic Explorers, turned the land into a protected reserve and photographic tourism camp.
The Lion in Popular Culture
The lion has been extensively depicted in sculptures and paintings, on national flags, and in literature and films. Lions have been kept in menageries since the time of the Roman Empire and have been a key species sought for exhibition in zoological gardens across the world since the late 18th century.
The iconic story of Disney's The Lion King has been further enhanced by an all-star cast and all-new groundbreaking CGI and virtual reality technology. While many places in this area are quick to lay claim as the inspiration for Pride Rock, the truth is that no identical landmark exists. Still, the massive granite rock formations known as kopjes certainly planted the seeds of creation for Simba's fictional home. These rocks are prevalent throughout the Serengeti's landscape, and home to many safari regulars; elephants rest in the shade along their base, and lions laze in the sunshine high atop their faces.
Lion Subspecies and Genetics
In the 19th and 20th centuries, several lion type specimens were described and proposed as subspecies, with about a dozen recognised as valid taxa until 2017. Between 2008 and 2016, IUCN Red List assessors used only two subspecific names: P. l. leo for African lion populations, and P. l. melanochaita for lion populations in East and Southern African regions.
Subspecies Classification
- P. l. leo (Linnaeus, 1758) − the nominate lion subspecies includes the Asiatic lion, the regionally extinct Barbary lion, and lion populations in West and northern parts of Central Africa.
- P. l. melanochaita (Smith, 1842) − includes the extinct Cape lion and lion populations in East and Southern African regions.
DNA analysis from a more recent study indicates that Central African lions are derived from both northern and southern lions, as they cluster with P. leo leo in mtDNA-based phylogenies whereas their genomic DNA indicates a closer relationship with P. leo melanochaita. Researchers, therefore, assume Ethiopia is a contact zone between the two subspecies.
Key Facts About African Lions
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Common Name | African Lion |
| Scientific Name | Panthera leo |
| Type | Mammal |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Group Name | Pride |
| Size | Head and body: 4.5 to 6.5 feet; tail: 26.25 to 39.5 inches |
| Weight | 265 to 420 pounds |
| IUCN Red List Status | Vulnerable |
| Current Population Trend | Decreasing |
